Yesterday, Portugal and Spain experienced a complete blackout: no electricity, no phone communication, and no idea what was happening. For 12 hours, society was stripped of its modern comforts, forced to navigate a world suddenly disconnected from technology.
The response? Calm, methodical, but eerily quiet. People rushed to buy battery-powered radios, hoping for answers, but all we had was the unknown. No lights, no screens, just silence and speculation.
Supermarkets closed. The subway stopped. Traffic lights went dark. Cities stood still. No communication with the outside world. It was a reset, a moment when modern life paused, and people had no choice but to simply exist in the unknown.
This experience is a goldmine for screenwriters. Imagine crafting a story around those 12 hours: Was it an accident, or something more? How does isolation shift human behavior? What secrets emerge when the world goes dark?
If you lived through this moment, what kind of film would you write? Thriller? Survival drama? Something supernatural?
Let’s brainstorm; this blackout might be the perfect beginning for a story only we can tell.
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Thriller/survival drama. And you make the eerily calm comment have a subtext of barely repressed emotions, and little explosions of anger, fear, violence, and a prediction of future such events. It was only 12 hours...after a week it would be Mad Max! And I'm sure there were such little explosions after only 12 hours! (Press never tells the whole story.) Try calling the local police stations and ask if there were ANY reported crimes of any sort!
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The blackout made us even more aware of our dependence on electricity and the Internet. I immediately thought of "The Second Sleep" by Robert Harris, do you know it, Sandra Isabel Correia? It's about a medieval world... that turns out not to be the real Middle Ages. Mindblowing and quite scary as a story!
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Sorry to hear that happened, Sandra Isabel Correia. I'd write a Mystery Conspiracy Thriller where a group of strangers comes together to find out what really caused the blackout.
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Your first 3 paragraphs, apart from being well crafted, perfectly outline (establish) a universe, Sandra Isabel Correia ; An act-two, upside-down world where questions are raised and heroes are revealed. Not to mention that Twilight Zone-esque mirror into our collective psyches.
It would be an incredible project, for say.... hmmmm, just thinking out loud here... OK, I got it! Here goes: A Writers' Room. Maybe even this one? Hint hint hint hint.
Tales From the Dark
The Day the Lights Went Out
Going Dark
Off-Grid
Beerless in Benidorm
Oooooh boy, it's got series written all over it.
I'm unaffected by the blackout -- live on a tropical island and make my own electricity -- and only the lucky experienced the wave of awe and introspection waft over the Iberian Peninsula, but by crikey, we all share similar stories of disconnect and free-fall.
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The most interesting thing is that we lived this and had this experience. I believe for the first 24 hours behaviors will be good, but after that, problems will begin. Thank you all for accept my challenge.
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Jon Shallit, that's a good briefing of what can be a story based on this theme. Yes, 12 hours isn't enough to have much action, but we can create one with the stories we know. The subway stopped, and they needed to take people out of there. I like that thriller/survival drama. Thank you, Jon.
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Chiara Torrisi, Thank you for sharing "The Second Sleep" by Robert Harris. I don't know, but I like that perspective of the Medieval world that turns out not to be the Middle Ages. I will look for it. Thank you
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Maurice Vaughan, it was a unique living experience and can give us many foundations for a good story. Thank you, my friend. I like your "Mystery Conspiracy Thriller where a group of strangers comes together to find out what really caused the blackout," and at the end they will discover that the cause is supernatural. :)))) Adding some sci-fi to the story. I like that!
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Morgan Aitken, I absolutely love the way you framed this: an upside-down world where heroes emerge, where uncertainty forces us to confront something deeper. Honestly, the blackout itself felt like stepping into act two of a gripping story, where the world suddenly shifts, and all we have are questions. The stories that come from this kind of shared experience, the disconnect, the free fall, the unsettling silence, are limitless. Whether we go full psychological thriller, dark comedy, or existential drama, the seeds are already there. The writers' room, an amazing idea :)) You live in Paradise :)) Thank youuuu
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You're welcome, Sandra Isabel Correia. I was thinking the same thing ("at the end they will discover that the cause is supernatural"). Great minds think alike. :D
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Likewise Maurice Vaughan :))))) We have similar mindsets ehehehhe
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Well guess what? Here is another news item...
The worst thing is that solar power is failing in the springtime in one of the sunniest places in Europe:
Spain’s grid operator admitted today that solar power could be to blame for the blackouts that brought chaos to much of the Iberian peninsular on Monday.
Red Eléctrica’s System Operations Chief Eduardo Prieto told a news briefing the electricity system was hit by a dramatic power generation loss in southwestern Spain, that caused instability in the system that led to its disconnection from the French grid. He said it was quite possible that the affected generation was solar, but it was to early to say for sure. Prieto said the system was now stable and working normally.
The partly state-owned operator’s preliminary assessment ruled out cyberattack as the cause of the outage, he added – after officials had tentatively suggested on Monday it was still a line they were exploring. Criticism has been mounting on the Spanish government to explain the blackouts, which saw planes grounded, trains stopped and traffic brought to a standstill in major cities.
How much further does civilization have to decline before we start taking on the challenge of shoring up the foundations that have been systematically weakened for the last 50 years?
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It's a predictor of things to come.
Yes, stories walk in that darkness, personal and otherwise.
Imagine the fears (the very real new fears) and the survivalist instinct. I have heard so many theories for the blackout. Solar flares, Massive cyberattacks, Big Brother turning off the lights, UFOs, and Twin solar systems passing each other. There is so much. That is on the macro level. What about the more personal level?
Imagine. People don't really understand what that means for the market for the collective conscious.
People will likely stock up on groceries and goods, causing shortages, because what if it happens again? Where is the guarantee?
Even in America, there is a fear that this will happen here. There are theories about this being what those of the Christian faith determine the fulfillment of prophecy written in revelation this is the beginning issuing in a period of darkness.
The wild thing is I was reading in this book that events such as this fuel films (Vietnam War, 9/11, Nuclear war, Cold War). After COVID there were many movies about pandemics and apocalyptic viruses.
This is born out of the writers' need to deal with their own fears and sometimes give the others outside of themselves a way to vent, a relief from the reality of what is actually happening.
Humanity's biggest fear revolves around what is actually out there, who is in control, and just how fragile this world is and our lives as we float on this tiny speck in the universe
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What a great idea! I actually have friends that arrived in Spain on Monday morning for a two-week vacation. I can't imagine how disorienting it must have been for them to land, on very little sleep, in a country where they don't speak/understand the language amidst a blackout. How do you get your bags? Find your Airbnb? Use your phone? I can't wait to hear their stories when they get back.
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They don’t have a answer Jon Shallit, it’s something higher than us, probably linked with Solar Flares and higher consume of electricity on Earth. We will see what future brings to all of us.
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Renae Richardson, I couldn’t agree more. This blackout wasn’t just an isolated event, it was a warning, a glimpse into what may come. And now, we've lived it, even if only for 12 hours. That feeling, that shift, that realization, it won’t be new next time. We’ve already seen the shape of it.
I love how you captured the deeper layers of this. Both the grand theories swirling around and the quieter, more personal fears. The way people instinctively stock up, change their routines, feel that lingering uncertainty even after the lights return. It’s a reflection of how fragile our world really is, how much we depend on stability.
And you’re so right, writers take these moments and turn them into stories because that’s how we process fear, how we make sense of the chaos. It’s how we remind ourselves that no matter how dark it gets, there’s always meaning to be found. This time we saw light, love, compassion between Portuguese population and who knows if we can write a shining story about blackout and not a dark one :))
Sending you love and appreciation for this beautiful perspective.
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Diane Fluin, that will a great plot for a blackout :)) I imagine the twists your friend had to leave in Spain and who know if you will write an adventure plot :))
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Okay!!!........Sandra Isabel Correia, give me some time to think about this one!
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Eon C. Rambally, you have 12 hours :)))
That's why you should never shoot your movie in a foreign country. Remember that's why Hollywood is the best place to shoot your movie.
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In a 1968 movie about a blackout in New York City "Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?" the situation is a comedy. Of note, it is said that nine months after the actual 1965 blackout there was a major rise of births in NYC. So as a topic, perhaps the conjugal occcurances are worthy of the story line...
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I lived through the August 2003 blackout in New York City. I was 7 months pregnant and had to walk from the port authority bush station on 42nd street down to 4th street. The power was out for 3 days... it was an amazing community thing because restaurants brought out sidewalk grills and premium grilled steak that they sold for $5. People actually talked to each other.
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Sandra Isabel Correia, this is all good "exercise" for a recuperating individual like myself. In keeping with theme of the commentaries, it is understood France is mentioned in part of the "storyline". Lets wish for some Lllove amongst them, out of this.....and hope it brings exciting news nine months later! )))
There,....I said it within 12 hours! )
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With all due respect, but no shelling, no ballistic missiles, no attacks on nuclear power stations. 12 hours blackout reads as a catastrophe. Read something about Ukraine, it is still there. Reminds me of "Don't look up"
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Dobre ranuk, Oleksandr Shcherbyna ! Ukraine is under siege... it's horrifying, but at this point, not out of blue. Putler's bombs are the new normal. The Iberian power failure was unexpected. No troops massed on the border, or columns of vehicles lined up outside Kyiv.
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What! Hollywood never has power failures, Vic Alexander ? I recall a tremor taking down most of the LA county grid. What was astonishing were the number of calls to emergency services over the weird lights in the sky. Apparently, a lot of peeps had never seen the stars. ... other than face down in their salads on the third street promenade.
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Morgan Aitken Who doesn't love hyperbole?
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My dad's in Spain right now travelling across the country. He said he just sat around at the cafe at his hotel drinking coffee, meeting people, and chatting with random folks all day. With him as inspiration, I think I'd write a slice of life comedy about a retiree on vacation trying to make new friends at the end of the world, while knowing very limited Spanish. Perhaps even go on a kooky adventure to find the switch to turn the power back on. Lol
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I loved that Eon C. Rambally and you did less than 12h :)) Thank youuuuu
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You're welcome Sandra Isabel Correia, and as recalled to your previous relevant post. To get the essence of a story an "investigator" starts from the occurrence/incident and trace backwards. So much so can be applied here with theme in this thread. The irony!! )
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Sandra Isabel Correia, I'm glad you were safe, my friend. The setup is already cinematic: a world abruptly stripped of its digital heartbeat, leaving people to confront the silence, the shadows, and each other. As a writer, I’m immediately thinking survival thriller meets sci-fi psychological drama. Maybe it starts grounded, but slowly spirals into something bigger: conspiracy, mass amnesia, or a test orchestrated by something unseen.
What really struck me is how moments like this reveal what’s underneath all the noise. Relationships, regrets, instincts. It’s all there, waiting to be explored.
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Robert Franklin Godwin III , I love that historical connection! It’s fascinating how events like blackouts don’t just disrupt life for a few hours; they leave ripples in culture, psychology, and even population statistics, apparently! The idea of weaving the "conjugal occurrences" into the storyline could add a really intriguing layer, whether as humor, drama, or even a deeper exploration of human instinct in times of uncertainty. Thank you for sharing. I appreciate that!
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LauriJon Caravella, Wow, what an unforgettable experience that must have been! Walking that distance while seven months pregnant in the midst of a blackout? That’s resilience on a whole other level. I know very well the distance between 42nd Street to 4th street, I lived in NY for some years :))
It’s incredible how moments like that bring people together in unexpected ways. The sidewalk grills, the conversations, the simple acts of kindness. It’s proof that even in chaos, community finds a way to shine. Those three days must have been exhausting, but it sounds like they were also filled with a kind of rare, unfiltered human connection.
In Portugal our community did the same, we helped each other :))
Thank you for sharing that memory. I appreciated it!
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Oleksandr Shcherbyna, I completely understand your perspective, and you’re right: What people define as a catastrophe is often relative to their experiences. The blackout was unsettling, but compared to the unimaginable hardships Ukraine continues to endure, it barely scratches the surface of what true resilience looks like.
When you have family, especially kids, and you’re unable to reach them, that uncertainty is overwhelming. Not knowing what’s happening adds to the stress. In the end, how we experience moments like these depends on our individual perspectives, shaped by our beliefs, backgrounds, and life experiences.
Thanks for bringing this into the conversation; it’s important to keep perspective.
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That sounds like such a charming and hilarious concept, Pat Alexander! There’s something so delightfully human about finding joy in the simple things, even in the face of chaos. Your dad’s blackout experience feels like the perfect inspiration for a lighthearted, feel-good story. I hope he’s enjoying Spain with good “Tapas” and “Cañas” :)) Thank you for sharing, I appreciate you!
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Thank you Ashley Renee Smith, my friend! You captured the heart of it so beautifully, the eerie silence, the sudden rawness of human connection when the distractions vanish. It truly felt like stepping into a story already in motion.
I love where your mind is going with this! A survival thriller that unravels into something deeper… yes! The psychological layers, the hidden forces, the unspoken fears we ignore until the world presses pause. There’s so much to explore in what people cling to when everything familiar disappears.
Moments like these strip us down to our truest selves. Some people find clarity, others unravel. Either way, it’s all fuel for storytelling. Thank you for being you :))****
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I just want to add another character to the story. (if need be) The all lovable and memorable, "Pink Panther", Inspector Jacques Clouseau. himself!
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Eon C. Rambally thats a great casting :)))
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Sandra Isabel Correia I loved this, Sandra:
“It was a reset, a moment when modern life paused…”
Personally, that is what I would have done; taken the time to pause and reset. It’s part of my practice as a writer, that takes me away from an incessant need to create something. I come back renewed, my energy surges. A new story is born…
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Exactly the same I did Geoff Hall :)) It was so good for me and I slept a lot :))